Icy Hot
by nycroft
Summary: A tale of fire and ice, of boarding schools and lost family, of Nico and Leo. Contains boyxboy/yaoi (whatever you want to call it), lots of fluff, possible slash later. Rated T (for now) for language. NicoxLeo AU. Don't like, don't read :)
1. You Make Such a Pretty Girl

Nico di Angelo sat awkwardly outside his father's office. He rubbed his hands together and blew into them, trying to continue the blood circulation. He'd never understood why his father insisted on keeping his office so cold.

Nico's father, a wealthy CEO of several coffin-making companies, was on the other side of the thin wooden door. Sitting in an uncomfortable lobby armchair for an hour and a half while listening to his father shout at an unfortunate employee was not how he'd imagined his Saturday going. He wanted to be at home in his room, curled up in his warm bed with a good book. But his father, who he rarely saw at home, had requested him to meet "so they could talk," whatever that meant.

Nico absently wondered if this was about Bianca. His sister had been so excited when she'd been accepted into a prestigious all-girls academy. Of course Nico had been happy for her, but he was also upset that his best friend would be leaving him. They were almost always together, unless they were at school. They lived together in the giant house their father had bought for them with his abundant fortune, along with said father, who was barely seen outside of his office. But everything had changed when, a month into the first term, Bianca had died.

The next four years were the worst of his life. Many of Bianca's friends tried to comfort him, visiting him in his big, empty house, but he always turned them down. Nico became reclusive and cold, and was so full of hatred that most of the time he didn't go to school. It had gotten really bad over the past year. He was barely ever present at any of his classes, and his grades were seriously slipping. He'd barely passed the seventh grade. It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough. He was one of the most intelligent students in the school. It was just that he wasn't there to do the work. Was that why his father needed to talk to him?

Nico hadn't seen his dad in weeks. He spent all of his time working. It irritated Nico that he was never around, but it was nice at times. He loved having the house to himself, and he loved being able to do whatever he wanted.

Suddenly the door was flung open, and a body flew out. A man in a suit begrudgingly picked himself up off the ground as his father continued shouting about "poor performance" and "the future of this company." Mumbling obscenities under his breath, he stormed out of the lobby, glaring at Nico as he passed.

Standing in the doorway, his father smoothed his silky black hair and adjusted his crimson tie. "Ah, Nico. I am sorry you had to see that."

"Hello, father. Long time, no see." he stood, eyeing the man's perfectly tailored black suit as he lead him into the office.

"Forgive me, dear Nico. You see, the company has been going through a hard time…" he began rambling on about stocks and bonds and banking and other stuff Nico didn't care about. This was how most of their meetings went. His father would repeat the same businessy speech as an excuse for why he was never there. Nico began to tune him out, daydreaming about his new favorite book series.

"Son, we're sending you to boarding school."

Nico's eyes snapped back to his father, confusion displayed clearly on his normally expressionless face. "What?"

The man sighed. "Do you ever listen to anything I say? Nico, you've been absent for seventeen consecutive school days. That's enough to get you expelled. If you don't begin attending school, I could be arrested. That is why I have selected the Eterothaleís* Academy. It's a school for kids like you. For… _special_ students."

His voice dripped with bitterness. So this was why he had to go to boarding school. His father was shipping him off to a school for crazies so he wouldn't have to deal with him any longer.

His father handed him a brochure. On it was a large image of what looked like a generic boarding school. The architecture was fairly simple, with red bricks and white arches, large windows and heavy looking doors. Flipping the page, he saw colorful graphics, with long descriptions of the curriculum, dorms, uniforms, etc. He would have to share a suite with another student of the same sex, eat meals at a specific time each day, get to classes on time, and wear the same snobby-looking uniform as everyone else.

This was going to be a long year.

* * *

A hearse was not Nico's first choice of vehicle to drive him to his first day of school. But, of course, his father really wanted to make his first day oh so _special_. According to him, it was the only car he had available, even though he had driven himself to work in a cherry red Lamborghini. Pulling up to the large front doors, Nico begrudgingly pushed the door open and got his suitcase from the trunk. He bid the driver good bye and began up the steps. Students were milling around the white stairs, chatting on the grass, and generally relaxing in the warm morning sun, but each one of them turned to stare at the weird kid who had been driven in a hearse. His paper-white skin, dark clothing, jet-black hair, and apathetic expression did not help the situation.

"Is that a vampire?" one girl asked her friend as he passed.

"No, I think that's a goth!" countered the friend.

"That's so cool!"

"And mysterious!"

"Do you think he'd drink my blood? Like, from my neck? That's _hot!_" At that Nico shut them up with one of his token death glares. He couldn't even tell if they'd been serious or not. Cheeks tinged with the slightest pink of a blush, he continued on, finally reaching the doors.

The large doors opened into a large lobby-type area. The floors and walls were wooden and shiny, and there were students milling around in the many couches and chairs, snacking on the coffee tables. He shuffled over to a door beneath a sign labeled "Main Office." Inside a smart looking blonde girl was sitting at a desk, scribbling notes on a clipboard, her hair curly hair falling in rivulets down her uniform blazer. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Hello there! What can I do for you today?" Her voice sounded similar to that of a salesperson.

"Hi, I'm Nico. I just got here. I was told to wait in the main office to meet my roommate, and that he'd show me around." Nico's voice was monotonous and sounded extremely bored, which he was.

"Ah, yes, Nico di Angelo? Hi, I'm Annabeth Chase!" Nico mumbled hello as Annabeth flipped through her clipboard. "Ok, Nico, it looks like you're rooming with Leo Valdez, a sophomore."

A tan-skinned boy with thick, curly black hair waltzed into the room at this moment, a goofy grin covering his face from ear to ear.

"Speak of the devil…" Annabeth muttered under her breath. The boy's blazer sleeves were rolled up, and his shirt wasn't tucked in like the other boys Nico had seen. He walked right up to where he and Annabeth were standing.

"Hey, Annabeth! Is this my new roomie?" he sounded very cheerful, and he was still grinning.

"Tuck that shirt in, Valdez." she said, a little bitterly. "And yes, this is Nico. Be nice. No explosions, no pranks, and _no _freshman Friday!"

"Aw, Beth, you don't have to be so cruel!" Leo pouted.

"Save it, Valdez, and don't call me 'Beth.' I suggest you show Nico to your room before I blow a circuit." Annabeth's grey eyes were stormy and looked a little murderous.

"Alright, alright!" Leo gave in, throwing an arm around Nico's shoulder. "We're gonna have loads of fun, roomie!"

Either he didn't feel Nico stiffen at his touch, or didn't care. "Let's go see the room!" He grabbed Nico by the wrist and began pulling him out of the office and down a long corridor that branched off of the lobby, ignoring the fact that he left his bag in the office.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Nico finally managed to rip his arm away as Leo was opening a door at the end of the hall that led outside. "Slow down!"

"What?" Leo asked, cocking his head to the side. "Don't you wanna see the room?"

"Yes, but if you would please refrain from touching me…" for the second time that day, Nico felt himself blush.

"Oh. Sorry, roomie! I didn't know you were one of those 'I-don't-do-PDA' kind of guys," Leo explained, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I'm kind of touchy-feely sometimes."

"I noticed," Nico grumbled, pushing the door open the rest of the way. This kid was definitely annoying. He hadn't once dropped the smile that was seemingly permanently plastered to his face.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at their dorm building. It was a five-story brick apartment with several rooms, all for male students. Nico followed Leo up the steps to the fifth floor.

"It looks a bit… dusty up here," Nico observed. The floor was silent and dark, the only light coming in from the window at the end of the hall. None of the doors were numbered except the very last one.

"We're the only ones on this floor. That's what you get when you explode your last roommate, I guess." Leo laughed, but Nico only sighed. Now he understood why this school was for "special kids.'

Behind the door was a large suite. It appeared to have two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. It was warm and the lamps radiated an orange glow, and the carpet was white and fluffy.

"This is your room," Leo pointed to an square opening in the wall that lead to a simple bedchamber. It appeared the bedrooms didn't have doors. The only door was to the bathroom; the rest of the rooms were awkwardly open.

"Where are the doors?" Nico was internally freaking out. No doors?! How was he supposed to read in peace and privacy?

"None of the dorms on the campus have doors. It's kind of weird. I guess it's 'cause of the weird kids here."

_That's right_, thought Nico, _we're all special._

On the other side of the living room was an identical opening to Leo's room, which was insanely messy and covered in clothes, gadgets, and various power tools. There was even a beer bottle half buried in tee-shirts.

"How can you live like that?" Nico remarked rudely.

Leo laughed. "Trust me, it's controlled chaos. If it's not a mess, I can't find anything."

Nico seriously doubted that was true.

"Oh yeah!" Leo rushed back into the living room, picking up a small pile of folded clothes from the table. He thrust them into Nico's arms. "Here's your uniform. You should go put it on in the bathroom,"

Nico was relieved to find that the bathroom had a lock. At least if he really needed to be alone he could come here.

He began putting on the uniform, but he noticed something was off. It didn't look like the ones he's seen other boys wearing. The teenagers before had adorned navy blue slacks with a matching blazer and a white dress shirt with the school logo on the pocket, but this was a pair of very short navy shorts, a tight matching blazer, and a white knee socks, and a short-sleeved white shirt with a navy bow around the collar. Was this the freshman uniform or something?

He walked out of the bathroom to find Leo hunched over, laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" he asked, tugging on the hem of his shorts. Damn, these were some really short shorts…

"You look… so… _adorable!_" Leo struggled to speak through his cackling laughter. "It's a… girl's…summer uniform…"

It all made sense now. That was why it fit so weirdly and why it looked different.

"And why, might I ask, was it necessary to make me wear a female uniform?" Nico asked, teeth grinding together in anger.

"Because I'm pranking you!" Leo had finally recovered from his laughing fit.

"Very funny," Nico said, sarcasm and annoyance evident in his tone, as Leo handed him the actual uniform, which he'd retrieved from his room. "Isn't there supposed to be a skirt, anyways?" he asked as he went back to the bathroom.

"It's the summer uniform. I didn't think you'd willingly put on a skirt. Unless you're into that kind of thing," said Leo, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Pervert," Nico hissed, shutting the door in his face.

"Aw, but you make such a pretty girl—!" Leo called through the door.

"Shut up!"

"Just saying, I'd tap that,"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"Geez, sorry,"

Nico, now uniform-clad, opened the bathroom door to the same ridiculous smirk he'd closed it on.

"If you are done mocking me, I'd like to get my bags from the office."

* * *

Thank God it was Saturday. Nico had two entire days to savor before the inevitable first day of classes. So as he unpacked his clothes and folded them neatly, gently color-coordinating them into the dresser, he had time to relax. He was anxious to crack open his new book.

"Hey, Nico, you wanna hang out with me and some friends?" Leo asked, appearing in the doorway. "I want you to meet Jason, Piper, Percy, Hazel, Frank—well, maybe not Frank, since he kind of hates me, but he'll probably be there because of Hazel, and—"

"No," Nico bluntly interrupted. "I have a book to read, if you don't mind."

Leo pouted. "Aw, come on! I know you'll like them, if you just—"

"No."

"Please?"

"_No_."

"You can't just shove your face in a book all day. You have to socialize sometime!"

"Companionship is not necessary for my wellbeing."

"Oh, shut up, of course it is!"

"Not when I have a book to read."

"So you're just going to spend the rest of your life alone?"

"Hopefully."

At this, Leo heatedly 'hmphed' and turned to leave. Nico turned and took a seat on the bed, pulling out a book.

_Thank God, _thought Nico. _I prefer reading to talking any day._

His joy was short lived, however, because about twenty minutes after his departure, Leo returned with several students in tow. First was a muscular sun-kissed blonde boy, then a slightly leaner, slightly taller Mediterranean boy, then a short, cute black** girl, then an irritated-looking dude with a buzz cut protectively wrapping an arm around the black girl, then finally a pretty girl with choppy hair and what appeared to be men's clothes on. Oh, and Annabeth.

_Well shit, I didn't think he was going to invite the whole damn campus over…_

"Guys, this is Nico!" Leo declared. "Nico, this is Percy, Frank, Hazel, Piper, and Jason. And Annabeth, but you already met."

"Great." Nico replied, gritting his teeth.

"Um, so, yeah. I figured if you refused to meet anybody, I'd just bring the party to you." Leo said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Nico? Nico di Angelo?" the youngest girl, Hazel, asked him. "As in, _the_ Nico di Angelo? This is going to sound really weird, but are you my half-brother Nico?"

Nico vaguely remembered his dad telling him his half-sister would be there. Many years after Nico's mother died, his father remarried, but soon re-divorced after the birth of their first child. Nico was too young to remember her.

"I think so, yeah," he responded, rubbing his chin inquisitively. "I don't think we've met."

"Are you kidding? You two are really related?" asked Percy. There was an incredulous look on his face. "If that isn't the trippiest shi—" He was silenced by Jason's hand smacking over his mouth.

"Hold your tongue, Percy, Hazel's only fourteen, and I doubt Nico's much older," he said, much to Hazel's protests, who was constantly claiming that she was mature for a seventh-grader.

"Actually, I am fourteen, and I am supposed to be in the eighth grade, but I was bumped up a year after the fifth grade." Nico stated monotonously. Most people mistook him for either very old or very young, depending on the person, and he'd said that same sentence more times than he could count.

"That's so cool! I was almost held back last year. I guess I'm kind of dumb," said Percy, who had escaped Jason's hand.

"You're not dumb. You have dyslexia _and_ ADHD. You can't expect to be the best student." Annabeth cooed. Nico absently wondered if they were a thing.

"You're too sweet, babe."

"Not as sweet as you!"

"But you're still the prettiest girl I know."

"Now I know that's not true."

"Of course it is babe!"

"Whatever, you're prettier than me, Percy."

"I'm not—"

"Jesus Christ, get a room! If I have to listen to you two blubbering for the rest of the day I'm going to _explode!_" Leo half-shouted, confirming Nico's suspicions. It really was too bad. That Percy character was kind of cute.

"Calm down, Valdez. There's no need to yell," Frank interrupted. Nico noticed him slip his fingers into Hazel's.

"Yeah, Leo, they're fine. Let 'em enjoy their fluffiness, will you?" This time it was Piper who spoke. No sooner had she spoken than Jason shuffled slightly closer to her, putting an arm around her waist.

It seemed to Nico that everyone in the room was dating—everyone except Leo.

Maybe that was why he blew up when they got too lovey-dovey?

He was… jealous?

"Yeah, well, I'm taking that as my invitation to leave," Percy said, taking Annabeth's hand.

"Nice meeting you, Nico!" he called as they left.

"I'm going to head out too. I've got homework and stuff," added Jason. Piper waved and followed him.

"Maybe we should…?" Frank began, but Hazel stopped him.

"Excuse me, but I just found my long-lost brother, so I'm going to spend some time with him, if you don't mind."

_This girl is sassy,_ thought Nico. _I like her._

"W-Well I need to—"

"Then go. I'll see you later." she pecked him on the cheek and ushered him out.

"So Nico, how are you?" Hazel asked, taking a seat on the bed. "Ok, so that's kind of a lame question. I mean, what've you been doing all these years? How's Bianca?"

Nico flinched. He'd forgotten that he'd have to enlighten his half-sister about Bianca's untimely death.

"She's… Bianca's…" he paused and straightened his seated position. He took a deep breath. "Bianca is dead. She… she got really sick."

"Oh…" Hazel was very taken aback. "I'm so sorry, Nico. I remember meeting her when we were little. She was always so nice… I'm so sorry for your loss."

"It's not your fault. She had just gotten into a really good boarding school for girls. So at least she was… happy when she died."

Leo was still standing there, a confused look on his face. He had no idea who they were talking about, but he could tell it was a touchy subject, so Nico figured he was just afraid to ask.

"Bianca was my sister." he said bluntly. Leo deserved to know what they were talking about. It was rude to ignore the fact that he was there.

"Oh," Leo awkwardly shuffled to a seat on the edge of the now slightly crowded twin bed. "If it helps, I lost my mom in a house fire."

Hazel's sharp intake of breath told Nico that she hadn't known this either. Why was he being so open with them?

"Me too, actually." Hazel added quietly. "My mom died in… in an accident."

An uncomfortable silence passed over the three, almost as though it was a silent mourning for all the family they'd lost.

"So, uh, Hazel, is Frank your boyfriend?" Nico asked, changing the topic. "He seems very protective of you."

Hazel shifted slightly, and Leo cringed.

"Yeah, he's my boyfriend. And yeah, he's protective. It's usually cute, but it gets a bit annoying when he expects me to be around him 24/7, you know? Boys, am I right?" she chuckled, as though sharing and inside joke with every girl on the planet.

"Yes, boys can be very difficult," Nico said dazedly, staring into the distance. His mind was now else ware, dully recalling every awkward crush he'd had throughout his life.

Hazel chuckled again. "You say that as though you're…" she stopped, eyes widening. "Oh my _God_, Nico, you're not… _gay_, are you?!"

Nico felt his face reddening. He'd never talked about his sexual orientation with anyone before. "Ah, well, I, uhm, I guess you could say—"

A girlish shriek erupted from Hazel's mouth. "Oh my gosh, Nico, that's so cute, you're actually _gay!_ I'm so happy for you, because you're so young and you already know so much about your sexuality and…" she babbled on and on about how she'd "never met a gay person before" and how much of an "adorable uke" he was, which caused his blush to become an even deeper tomato red.

But Nico wasn't going to deny that he liked guys. It was stupid to deny it, and he doubted anyone would judge him for it anyways.

He looked at Leo, who was just sitting there, a strange look on his face.

"Quit looking at me like that!" said Nico. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. Was it hot in here?

"Erm, sorry. I guess I just wasn't expecting that," The look was replaced with a cheeky smirk. "I bet you're a noisy catcher," he said, to which he was met with a pillow in his face.

Hazel was practically in hysterics, she was laughing so hard.

"Shut up. I bet Percy and Jason are gay for each other too, you just watch," he accused. "Although which one's the bottom and which one's the top, we'll never know."

He hadn't thought Hazel could laugh harder, but then again, he'd been wrong before.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly peaceful. Nico spent it hanging out with Hazel and Leo, who were actually very fun to be around. Leo was extremely funny, even if Nico hated to admit it, and Hazel was also pretty great. By the end of the day he felt positively giddy. He'd never had friends before, save Bianca.

He definitely liked the feeling.

Dinner was served in the mess hall, so after feasting on pizza slices and soda, Leo and Hazel dragged him to the fire pit. In the center of the campus was a huge fire pit, perfect for making campfires, so whenever it was warm enough, the campus would gather in the yard around a giant bonfire, taking turns roasting marshmallows and singing songs.

They met back up with Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Frank, and took seats about ten yards away from the roaring flames. There were kids spread throughout the grassy terrain, spreading all the way back to the dormitories.

Nico watched as Hazel snuggled up against Frank, as Percy and Annabeth's hands intertwined, as Jason and Piper shared a sloppy kiss. He also watched as Leo sat alone on the makeshift log benches. He wondered if Leo had a girlfriend.

It didn't seem like many girls were that into Leo, and Nico didn't understand why. He was nice, and funny, and sweet, and he was pretty cute too, with those big brown eyes and that silly smile. Why didn't anyone hold him like all these other people were being held?

Because from what Nico had seen that day, he sure sure as hell deserved it.

* * *

**A/N: ** Holy frick guys, IT'S A FREAKING GHOSTFIRE FANFICTION. I really didn't expect to ship them so much, but then I found the ship on tumblr and drowned in feels (the struggle is real guys). So know I have this 4,000+ word monster. I didn't expect it to be nearly this long, but I felt like my other fics were too short, and I wanted to lengthen it a bit. The setting descriptions are very vague, I know, I just wanted to keep things simple and leave most of that up to the reader's imagination. Also I've never been to an actual boarding school I had to do a lot of research, and I didn't want to screw up too much D:

*The word "Eterothaleís" is the English spelling of the Greek term for "hlaf-blood," so that's where I got my oh-so-creative school name.

**Also, as a side note: I am not going to use the term "African American" ever, in anything I write. This is not because I want to offend people. I know that people do get offended when I use the term "black," but it's stupid to say "African American" because not everyone who is dark-skinned is African American anyways. And it's not like anyone says "Caucasian" anyways. So sorry if that offends anyone, but I'm just going to say "black" and "white" instead, mmkay?

And I wanted to milk Percabeth fluff as much as possible :x

See ya babes!

~Kiko-sempai


	2. I'm Definitely Interested

**A/N: **OH SNAP CHAPTER TWO GUYS. I had soooo much fun writing this! I really love this pairing, and also I love embarrassing Nico for all I'm worth.

See you guys again at the end of the chappie. Enjoy bby~~~

(Warning: this is where the fic gets a little cracky yo)

Nico awoke the next morning to a letter from Leo on his dresser. Supposedly he'd left early that morning to work on his Mechanics 3 project. So now Nico had the suite to himself.

First he considered reading. The suite was silent, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be when Leo got home.

Nico yawned and rubbed his eyes. Walking over to the thermostat, he turned the dial up a few notches. He had slept in nothing but his black boxer-briefs last night and he really didn't intend on changing. It was comfortable to lounge around in his underwear every now and then.

But then he turned his head to look at Leo's room. It was still just as messy as yesterday. It looked like a bomb had gone off.

Before Nico knew what he was doing, his feet were moving him across the living room and through the door, into the heaps of clothes and tools.

He inhaled deeply, breathing in the husky smell. It smelled kind of like cinnamon mixed with motor oil and gasoline. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing he'd ever smelled, but it wasn't too bad.

He turned, facing the dresser. It was identical to the one in his own room, save his wasn't covered in little knickknacks. Tiny machines and gears were scattered across the wood. Nico's mind was blank as his hand reached out to grip the top drawer's handle.

And that's when Nico came back to Earth.

He let out a gasp and yanked his hand away. What was he doing?! Was he really going to look through his new roommates drawers? What kind of pervert—

Ah, hell, who was he kidding? Nico was insanely curious; it wasn't every day you got a chance like this. He wanted to know what secrets Leo hid behind that happy-go-lucky demeanor.

Nico shut his eyes tight as he slowly pulled open the drawer. What was he going to find? Clothes? Underwear? A secret porn stash? A dead body?

Nico popped one eye open and saw an empty drawer.

Well, empty except for the frilly pink thong resting in its center.

If Nico wasn't busy letting out the most bloodcurdling scream in the history of mankind, he would've been wondering how it was possible to fit that many ruffles and bows onto such a tiny piece of fabric.

Once he'd regained his breath and his heart began beating again, he picked up the garment with shaky hands and held it up before himself. Why did Leo have a thong in his drawer and nothing else? Was it his? Did it belong to some girl that he'd—

"Uh… Nico?" Nico felt his heart stop has he heard that voice speak his name. He froze, panties in hand, and slowly turned his head.

He must've had a pretty crazy expression on his face, because Leo had never looked so frightened before.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Nico, what are you _doing?!_" It was then that Nico realized the direness of the situation. Here he was, caught looking through his roommate's drawers, in nothing but his underwear. Holding a thong. Great. Just great.

"Leo, why is there a thong in your drawer?" he asked, feigning calm as he internally screamed.

"Ah yeah, funny story, really," A bright blush began to creep its way across Leo's tanned cheeks. "So a couple weeks ago, the shower broke in Hazel's dorm, and I said she could use mine, and she kind of left this—"

"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN KEEP IT OH MY GOD IT BELONGS TO MY SISTER I TOUCHED IT GET IT AWAY OH MY GOD—" Nico screeched. Internally, of course. Outwardly, his eye was twitching and there was a crazed look on his face.

"—And I was going to give it back but I couldn't get her alone because Frank was always there, and he thinks I have a thing for her-which I _don't_-but I definitely wasn't going to give it back in front of him, but then days went by and weeks and so now it's been too long and it would be so weird to give it back now so I just hid it, ok?!"

Leo was panting. He'd said that all in one huge breath. Dropping the panties to the floor (insert that's-what-she-said-joke here), Nico quickly turned and began to walk balk to his room with all the dignity he could muster, which wasn't very much, but he was stopped by Leo grabbing his wrist.

"Hey, wait a minute! You still haven't told me why you were going through my drawers. Half-naked, no less!" Leo smirked slyly. "What were you looking for anyways?"

"I, uhm…" Nico pulled away from his grasp, crossing his arms over his exposed chest. Was it hot in here? Well, he _had_ turned the heater up… yes! That was why his face was red. He definitely wasn't embarrassed or anything crazy like that.

Nico was a very good liar, especially when it was to himself.

"N-Nothing," Scratch that. Nico was a terrible liar.

"Of course you had a reason," Nico could tell Leo wasn't going to let him off easy with this one. So there was only one thing to do: tell the truth.

"I wanted to know more about you," he said, averting his eyes. "I figured you couldn't be as stupid as you act. I know you're deeper than that."

Something flickered in Leo's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came and replaced with that same grin.

"Well next time you need to know something, just ask, okay? Because trust me, that's not the worst thing you could've found in my room."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN I AM MORTIFIED ALREADY I FOUND MY YOUNGER SISTER'S THONG AND SHE IS FOURTEEN WHERE DID SHE EVEN BUY THAT AND YOU HAD IT IN YOUR ROOM WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE THAT IS WORSE THAN—" Thank the Gods for Nico's endless patience and self-control, or else he would've screeched all of that at the top of his lungs instead of dashing into his room, cursing the doorless frame for being so damn _doorless_, throwing on a uniform, and dashing out of the suite.

Nico didn't know where he was going. He'd only been there for a day and he'd already found his long-lost sister's lingerie, in his roommate's room. Hazel was dating Frank, right? Would she cheat on him with Leo, of all people? Leo had seemed so nice the night before. Was he really the type of guy to sleep around like that?

Then again, he did seem to be the guy who'd take any action thrown at him.

But it didn't make sense for Leo to do that. He'd seemed like a loyal kind of guy. It would be too out-of-character for him to sleep with Hazel, Nico decided. It looked like his story was checking out.

Nico didn't know what emotions were filling his thoughts. I didn't feel like anger, but he definitely wasn't happy about this. He felt strange. It was similar to when he'd see Bianca with her older friends and feel left out. It felt kind of like that, but stronger.

Nico shook his head. What on Earth was he talking about?

Walking briskly along a sidewalk leading to some of the other dorms, Nico spotted a familiar head of dark Mediterranean hair. Percy was headed along the same path, talking animatedly to an awkward-looking boy on crutches with what appeared to be a peach fuzz goatee. Nico fought the urge to cough as the stench of enchiladas wafted over him.

"Hey, Nico, buddy!" Percy waved, spying Nico coming towards them. "This is Grover. He's here for the week to check up on the school's energy conservation habits, or something."

Grover smiled and waved.

"Uhm, hi," Nico said. He cursed himself for letting his voice shake. "Er, Percy, can I talk to you for a second? Like, privately?"

"Oh, uh, sure," he replied. Grover mumbled an excuse about going to the bathroom and ambled off.

"What's up, Nico?" Percy asked once the other boy was out of earshot.

"Well, I, uh…" Nico took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. "So I was in Leo's room and I began looking through his stuff because I don't know I guess I was curious and I opened his drawer and there was a thong inside and he came in and said it was Hazel's and that she'd left it there when her shower was broken but that sounds really sketchy and I don't really know what to—"

"Woah, woah, woah!" interrupted Percy. "So you found Hazel's thong in Leo's room?"

Nico nodded solemnly.

"And Leo said it she left it there from when her shower was broken?"

Nico nodded again.

"Well, then what's the problem?"

"What's the _problem?!_"

"Yeah. Leo wouldn't shag Hazel, not if she was with Frank. He's not that kind of dude." Percy looked the slightest bit offended.

"I wasn't implying that he was. I just… _God_. This was not how I wanted my morning to go." Nico covered his flushed face in his hands.

"It's alright. I remember back in the ninth grade when I accidentally stumbled upon Annabeth's lacey bra. That was possibly the worst beating I've ever received." Percy smiled despite the painful memory, a distant look in his eyes.

"I feel like at this point I'm more upset with Hazel than Leo," said Nico, to which Percy laughed.

"Girls will be girls, right?" Percy flashed him a grin.

But this time, Nico smiled back.

* * *

When Grover came back from the bathroom, Nico awkwardly shuffling away, not sure what to say to the disabled teen. He eventually found himself back at his suite. He fell onto the bed very ungracefully, thanking God that Leo wasn't in the dorm. He didn't think he could face the kid just yet. He once again pulled out (insert that's-what-she-said joke here) his favorite book, hoping to finish it by the time the day was over. Nothing could relax him better than a good read.

A few chapters later, Nico heard footsteps coming from down the hall, and loud laughter. The door opened and in walked Leo and Hazel, faces flushed, hands clutching their stomachs, giggles erupting in obnoxious torrents out of their smiling mouths. Nico cringed. He was a generally quiet guy, but it was painfully obviously that Leo definitely wasn't.

"You're such a tease, Leo," huffed Hazel, her voice catching from chuckling.

Leo let out an indignant 'hmph.' "I am not a tease. You're the one with a Canada fetish!"

"Oh, shut up!" It sounded as though they were play-fighting. Nico shifted slightly. They didn't know he was here; they couldn't see him from the living room, where he assumed they were, even though there were no doors.

So they didn't know he was here. Great.

You see, any normal human being would do in this situation what the average human mind would think it was logical to do—call out, make your presence known somehow, or even get up and greet the people who just entered one's living quarters. But, no, Nico was no ordinary human being. After being a complete and total loner since one's only friend's untimely death, the human mind tends to forget the simple logic that keeps it going. The simple logic like how much personal space was enough, like how long to keep eye contact, like how to hold a conversation. Nico's social skills were at a seemingly permanent zero.

So Nico did absolutely nothing. He sat there as he heard them take a seat on the couch. The conversation ambled on.

At first, it was nothing of Nico's interest.

He felt his ears perk when the topic of his sexuality came up.

"So the dude likes dudes. We can roll with that," said Leo. "Who do you think he likes?"

"No one, probably. For God's sake, Leo, he just got here, like, yesterday," Hazel countered. "He doesn't seem like the type to rush things, ya' know?"

Leo exhaled loudly. "I guess so. Do you think he's going to, like, come out or whatever? He told us, but I don't think he's really planning on telling everyone. It's not like there's a high population of gay people here."

"Well, there's…" Hazel paused, racking her brain. "Okay, so there's no other gay people in the school, at least none that are out of the closet. But there have to be a few, like I think Thalia mentioned something about a girlfriend, but I don't know…"

"Nah, Thalia really dug that dude who transferred a few years back, Luke. I think he might've died, though." Nico felt his face contort in disgust. He hated when people talked about death so openly. It made him feel worse for caring so much when his sister died.

"Oh, right. I think that's why she was kind of MIA last year," continued Hazel. "Well, so there's not her. Who else? Maybe some dudes? No one can deny the bromance between Jason and Percy, but they both have girlfriends."

Leo was oddly silent. That was strange. If there was anything Nico had learned in the past two days, it was that Leo liked getting his two cents in.

"So they're obviously out. There's always that kid who transferred last year, you know, the ginger? You think he likes guys? He looked feminine, but I mean that doesn't mean he's gay."

She continued on like this for a painful amount of time, naming every boy under the sun and questioning his sexual preferences. Nico thought it was a little stupid. It didn't make a difference whether someone liked boys or girls, did it? They were still the same person either way.

"…I doubt it's Thomas, he doesn't look like he'd—"

"Hazel."

"—be the type to—"

"_Hazel_."

"—do that—"

"**_HAZEL LEVESQUE._**"

"Yeah, Leo?"

"It's me."

"What's you?"

"It's me. It's me, alright?"

"What do you… oh. _Oh._ Oh!" Hazel seemed to be catching on. Nico couldn't believe his ears. Had Leo just said what he thought he'd said?!

"Wait. What do you mean by that, exactly?" she continued, needed clarification before she got too excited.

"I like guys, I guess. And girls. I like both, okay?" Leo sounded insanely nervous. It was almost like Nico could hear him blushing.

"So you're bi?" Hazel asked.

"I guess so, yeah." Leo sighed. "I've been feeling like this for a long time. I don't really know. I've never even dating a guy, or a girl, for that matter, do I guess I just don't know yet. I'm just going to go with the flow. If I date a girl and want to date girls forever, then so be it. If I date a guy and want to only date guys, then oh well, I'll date guys."

"That's so cool! Being so open-minded, I mean," he heard Hazel shift on the couch. "It's a good mentality, you know? You'll do whatever it takes to be happy."

Nico cringed. The words echoed in his brain. He winced again when he realized Hazel didn't notice the double meaning.

"I just want you to know that I'm okay with all this," Hazel interrupted his thoughts, snapping him out of his stupor. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to find that special someone. If you're happy, I'm happy, Leo."

Something about the way she said it made Nico feel… strange. He didn't know exactly what emotion had embedded itself in the pit of his stomach—it could've been longing, sadness, grief. Those were the words he'd wanted to hear for the past four years.

"What made you go and tell me all this so suddenly? If you've known for a while, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I don't know. I guess Nico kind of inspired me."

Hazel's train of thought was suddenly back on track. "Oh yeah, Nico! So…"

_Insert smirk and eyebrow wiggle here_, thought Nico.

"…you gonna bang him or what?"

"_WHAT?!_"

And in that moment Nico swore his heart plummeted to his shoes and back, then did forty somersaults, twenty-five jumping jacks, and a synchronized swimming routine to the theme of _Mission Impossible_.

"You heard me. Are. You. Going. To. Hook. Up. With. Nico?"

"W-Why would I—I mean I-I don't—I mean—Hazel, why would you even ask me that?!"

"I'm kidding, you doofus. I meant, do you like him?"

"I…" Leo stopped. Nico felt his pulse pounding through his ears. His palms were clammy and his skin felt like it was on fire. Why was it so god damn hot in this suite?!

"I don't know," Nico almost got down on his knees and thanked God, which was a stretch coming from practically the perfect portrayal of Agnosticism.

"I think… I could, eventually. I don't know. I'm definitely interested. I just haven't known him long enough to call it a crush."

"OH HOLY FUCKING SHIT ON A PITA LEO ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS OR ARE YOU SCREWING WITH ME BECAUSE I SWEAR I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL SKIN YOU AND THEN I WILL BURN THE REMAINS AND BURY THE ASHES IN THAT MESSY-ASS ROOM OF YOURS_—_" Nico's thought process was slowly turning into mush.

Nico's self-control deserved a shrine at this point. He was breathing heavily with one hand clamped over his mouth, and he was surprised they didn't hear him. He desperately tried to calm down.

A girly shriek erupted from the living room. Hazel was in hysterics again. Now she was going on about how Leo was the 'possessive seme.'

Nico stopped and thought about that. Where had he heard that before? He racked his brain, for the answer, only to blush doubly hard when he remembered reading the definition on an online forum.

"Will you calm down?" Hazel's breathing was coming out in loud pants. "He's cute, okay? Leave me alone!"

Leo sounded irritated, but not angry. Nico's eyes widened. Leo thought he was cute? No one had ever said that before. Pasty, maybe, but _cute?_

"Alright, no need to get defensive," said Hazel, seemingly calm. "He is really cute, though. He has that whole mysterious/dark thing going on." Nico wondered how on Earth Hazel had just managed to pronounce a slash mark.

"You should've seen him in the girl's uniform," Nico's face fell into his hands.

"You should've taken pictures!"

"You should stop being such a perv!"

"Oh, shut up."

Someone stood. "We should head back to the mess hall. It's almost dinner time." said Hazel.

Nico realized he was starving. In the commotion, he hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch. A glance at his alarm clock told him it was already six o'clock.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the door shut behind Leo and Hazel. He stood and stretched his arms, feeling stiff and awkward from sitting for so long.

So Leo thought he was…cute?

Nico didn't know if that was a good thing. He didn't remember ever using the word before, although Bianca used to use it to describe everything she liked. He shambled into the bathroom, gripping the edges of the sink. He looked kind of rough, but then again, he always looked that way. Big dark eyes, pale skin, shaggy black hair, heavy bags beneath his eyes no matter how long he slept.

He blink a few times. Cute? Yeah, sure, and Hazel was a middle aged Filipino man with a handlebar mustache and four DUI charges.

Sighing, Nico turned and walked out of the dorm, intending on heading to the mess hall and catching up to Hazel and Leo.

He managed to find them a little more than halfway to the mess hall, and together they headed down to the mess hall and picked up their food.

A few minutes passed and Leo got up to use the bathroom, shuffling over Nico in the process of attempting to get out of the cafeteria tables. Major blushing ensued on Nico's part.

"So, Nico," cooed Hazel once Leo had left. "How was your day? Do any, oh, I don't know, _eavesdropping_ lately?"

Shit.

"I-I don't know what you're—"

"I think you know very well what I'm talking about," Hazel leaned forward. "You are the most pathetically loud mouth breather on the planet, Nico."

Double shit.

"It's ok, Leo doesn't know you were there. Your secret's safe with me," she smiled deviously. Nico had a feeling Hazel took every chance she got to play matchmaker.

This was going to be a _very_ long year.

**A/N:** Oh holy hell. Long chapters in this fic, I know. I was going to include Nico's first day of classes, but i=I thought it would just make this chapter waaay too long, so there's more in store next time.

Also, in no way am I trying to be rude about Hazel owning a thong at 14. I'm using her as my trademark OOC in this fic. I just like her c: So yeah, she has pretty panties.

Until next time,

~kiko-sempai


	3. Are We Friends?

**A/N: **YOOOOOOOOO! New chapter, hells yeah! Enjoy babies, I'll be back at the end for Author's Notes~~

* * *

"Everyone please take a seat," said Nico's new Greek teacher. Nico shuffled his way to an empty seat at the back of the classroom. He was still unsure why both Greek and Latin were required classes for the students to take. Those were the only two language classes offered, and it was required for each student to take at least one, so Nico had begrudgingly picked Greek, figuring it was at least not a dead language and he could possibly use it in the future.

He watched, expressionless, as a bunch of kids filled the empty desks. He spotted a muscular blonde Jason among them, and then a large baby-faced Frank. Jason waved and took a seat next to a businessy-looking girl with a dark side braid and an annoyed look on her face. Frank spoke with the professor for a moment before ambling over to the seat next to him.

"Uh, hey," he said. He looked stressed. His large forehead was creased with worry lines and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Hi," Nico replied. "Are you ok? You look a bit tense."

"No, everything's fine, I just…" he sighed. "I don't know. Girls, you know?"

"Yeah," he said. _Actually no, I don't,_ Nico mentally added.

Much to Nico's displeasure, Frank took his one-word response as an invitation to explain his entire life story and all its issues.

"So Hazel's my girlfriend, and I really like her, but I don't think she likes me as much as I like her. I know she's young and needs time to herself but she doesn't even seem to enjoy my company anymore, and it's like she'd always rather be spending time with _Leo_. I mean, I don't think he's trying to, like, be with her or anything, but it just makes me upset because I'm her boyfriend and _I'm_ supposed to be the one who makes her happy!"

Nico was still sitting there silently, and an unreadable look on his face.

"I like Leo. I think he's funny, and I'd like to be his friend, but… I just want Hazel to like me the way I like her."

"Well, why don't you just talk, then?" Nico said incredulously. "You know, _bond_. Get to know each other better. Dating isn't just about making out." Nico hated when people asked him for advice, mostly because the answer was usually painfully obvious.

Frank shifted in his seat. "Oh. Uh, yeah. I guess you're right."

He was silent for a moment while Mr. D began taking role.

"Sorry, I just wasn't really expecting such a simple, straight answer," he said. Nico chuckled. _Don't call it a straight answer when that's one of the gayest things I've ever said_, he thought sarcastically.

"Well, that's ok. Sometimes people forget the 'friend' part of the word 'boyfriend.' " Frank was now looking at him as though he was some kind of god.

"Dude, when did you get so smart about relationships and stuff? You're, like, what, twelve?"

Nico groaned internally. "I AM FOURTEEN YOU GIGANTIC EGG—"

Oh, the self-control.

"Actually, I'm fourteen, and I'm a _freshman_." Nico grit his teeth to keep from screaming.

"Oh. Sorry," Frank really wasn't the best at sentimental apologies.

"It's fine. People usually tell me I look like I'm nine," he sighed, running a hand through his thick, shaggy hair.

"Reyna," Mr. D's booming voice attracted Nico's attention back to the front of the classroom.

"Present." The girl who'd been sitting next to Jason spoke up. Her voice sounded icy and cold, like the kind of voice that belonged to a person who'd been through some serious shit, to put it bluntly. The teacher didn't even bother to call her last name. Nico assumed that the teachers were just as scared of her as the students seemed to be.

This girl was definitely interesting.

If there was anything that Nico had learned from being a loner throughout the past several years of his life, it was that loneliness had made him extremely observant and aware of his surroundings. He knew that if you looked close enough at someone who seemed to never reveal their inner emotions, eventually they'd slip up and reveal everything.

So Nico watched her as Mr. D continued roll call.

Her face remained blank and stoic. At one point she gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear. Nico narrowed his eyes.

"Jason Grace?"

"Here," Jason called from next to the girl.

Reyna stole a glance at the blond boy, her hard expression softening ever so slightly.

And that was all Nico needed to know what was going on.

Still, confirmation would be nice.

"Frank, is there history between Reyna and Jason?" He seemed to be caught off guard by the question.

"Uh, yeah, actually, there is. Reyna's the student council president. She used to be co-president with Jason, but he stepped down when he started dating Piper. He said it was too much of a distraction," he paused, looking at the two students, who were currently engaged in what appeared to be a heated discussion. "There's a whole bunch of rumors going around that they used to date. You know, before Piper got here, and that Jason broke it off because he liked Piper more."

"I see." said Nico cryptically. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it he could see that Jason was smiling and Reyna was scowling.

"Why do you ask, anyways?"

"I could tell there was something between them from the way she looks at him. Like she's about to strangle him, or spontaneously make out with him, or maybe both."

Frank snorted loudly. "You know, you're really smart for someone so young. Most of the freshmen here are complete idiots, but you know what? You're alright."

Nico didn't know if this was some kind of symbol of approval or friendship or what.

"Uh, thanks," he said.

"Frank?"

"Here,"

"…And Nico."

"Here,"

Nico wondered why he'd been called last. His last name started with an A, so shouldn't he have been called first?

But then again, that whole roll call had been pretty wonky anyways.

And with that, class began.

The teacher handed out some worksheets and sat back in his desk, grading papers and drinking coffee, even though it was the last class of the day and almost two in the afternoon.

"Do you get any of this?" Frank asked about halfway through the class.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he replied. "What do you need help with?"

Nico proceeded to explain practically the whole Greek language to Frank, and by the time they'd finished their work, the final bell rang.

Nico shrugged on his black backpack and turned to leave.

"Hey, Nico!" Frank grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Thanks for the help today. You really saved my ass."

"No problem. I have a feeling your ass is going to need more saving throughout the year. If you ever need help with Greek stuff, feel free to ask, ok?"

Frank grinned at moved towards the door. "Thanks, buddy."

Huh. Buddy. The nickname rang through his ears. It felt weird to have people talk to him so casually, acting as though he was an actual human being and not the freak devil-worshipper son of a coffin maker the kids of his old school had thought he was.

It was definitely a nice change.

* * *

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Nico sat on his bed, warm laptop resting on his thighs.

his earphones were tightly shoved into his ears, and on the screen was his favorite episode of his favorite TV show. It had been a long day and he needed to unwind by immersing himself in his favorite fictional universe.

Sadly, this meant that both his sight and sound senses were completely immersed, and he did not hear a certain Hispanic roommate sneaking up on him.

"_BOO!_"

"Oh fuck—"

_SMACK._

It Nico a moment to figure out what was going on. Leo was on the floor, cupping the side of his face and grimacing.

"Oh my god, Leo, I'm so sorry!" Nico shoved his laptop off his lap and shut it, jumping down next to Leo.

"It's ok, I'm fine," Leo smiled and removed his hand, revealing a red mark that was clearly visible on his tan skin. "You hit like a girl."

"That's sexist," Nico's pity was instantly drained. "I know plenty of girls who could, and would, beat you up."

"I never took you for a feminist, Sunshine." Sunshine? Leo definitely wasn't the best at inventing nicknames. Leo stood and offered Nico a hand.

"I should be the one helping you up. I'm the one who smacked you in the face," he grumbled, getting up on his own. "You aren't mad, are you?"

Leo rubbed his cheek. "No, I'm not mad. But you definitely owe me for that one."

"And just what do you mean by that?"

Leo just smiled knowingly, and Nico fought the urge to smack him again.

"I could just dress you in some women's clothes again, but I don't think drag is your thing." Leo smirked at the light pink blush spreading across the younger boy's pale cheeks.

"You, Leo Valdez, are the most obnoxious person I have ever met."

"I pride myself on that achievement, thank you very much!" Despite himself, Nico felt the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile, and the smile slowly becoming a giggle, and the giggle suddenly forming into a full on laugh.

Leo's face sported a mixture of confusion and pleasant surprise.

"You're also the most ridiculously eccentric person I've ever met."

"Uh, thanks?" In all honesty, Leo didn't actually know what the word "eccentric" meant.

Nico smiled softly. The way he felt when he talked with Leo reminded him of how he felt when he used to talk with Bianca. He didn't know if that made him happy or sad.

There was something about Leo that was different, and Nico didn't know what it was. He'd only known the kid for a few days. He was such a goofball, always cracking lame jokes just to get a laugh. It was kind of nice. His cheeriness was beginning to rub off onto Nico. Nico didn't know why, but he liked being around him.

Leo made him happy.

* * *

The next week seemed to last a millennia. Nico was started to remember why he hated school. Spending your days staring at a wall clock and trying to make time progress faster with sheer willpower and desperation was not fun.

He didn't see Leo or Hazel very much, and he assumed they were probably busy with the heavy amounts of homework the school gave out, just like he was. Although, they never failed to sit together at each meal.

On Wednesday Hazel dragged him to her dorm to have "sibling bonding time," which was really just her gossiping about who was dating who.

When the weekend finally came, Nico could not have been happier. Two entire days to relax, stay in his pajamas all day, and, most importantly, sleep.

But, yet again, Leo felt the need to foil his plans.

On Saturday morning, Nico awoke to a warm hand shaking his cold forearm. As a general rule, Nico's body temperature was usually fairly low compared to others, which was really not helping all the rumors about how he was really a vampire.

The hand kept shaking as he shrugged deeper into his black comforter. He was lying face-down, so it was easy to ignore this mysterious hand.

"Nico…" he could barely make out a voice. It sounded familiar.

"Nico, wake up!"

"Graaghh…" Nico managed to mumble. He was really not a morning person.

"Niiiicooooo…" the voice whined. It was as though Nico could hear the pout in the voice.

"Nico, wake up or I swear to god—"

"Go… awaayyy…"

"That's it!" Suddenly his covers were yanked away, exposing him to whoever was so dead-set on waking him up. Yet again, he was wearing only his black boxers. He crossed his arms over his chest. Now he was cold. That voice really had it out for him.

"Oh… Uh, I-I… I'm sorry, Nico, I-I forgot that you…"

Nico pried one eye open and he spied a teenager standing before him. A Hispanic boy with thick curly hair, wearing a white shirt, suspenders, and army green pants. Now he definitely looked familiar.

A bright red blush was painted across his face, and Nico suddenly remembered who it was that was standing by his bed, staring at his scantily clad body.

Leo wasn't the only one who was beet red.

"I, uh, I—Get dressed, Nico, we're going out!" he demanded awkwardly.

Nico glanced at his alarm clock and read the time, groaning loudly.

"Leo, it is eight o'clock in the damn morning," Nico sat up and rested against the bed post. "Would you at least let me put clothes on before you take me places against my will?"

Leo laughed and turned to the door, all traces of the blush gone. "You owe me for slapping me. So you're taking me out today." And with that he was gone.

Nico rubbed his eyes and stretched. Slowly, painfully, he stood, almost tripping. He pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, glad to cover his practically nude body.

Leo was waiting for him in the living room, holding Nico's shoes and jacket.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" he said playfully, helping him into the big brown aviator jacket. Nico found himself being dragged from the room by Leo, who had grabbed him by the hand. He flushed and tried to pull away as they descended the stairs, but Leo was stronger than he was and his grip was like iron.

When they were finally outside, Leo loosened his clutch on Nico's hand, and he yanked it away. The skin on his hand felt like it was burning. No one had held his hand since… well, Bianca.

For a moment Nico thought he was going to throw up.

"Where are we even going?" Nico asked groggily. He was still very tired from being woken so suddenly.

"I don't know yet."

"You dragged me all the way out here and you don't even know where we're going?" Nico internally groaned. He hadn't even gotten to brush his teeth or his hair.

"Well, it's Saturday, and we're allowed off campus as long as we're back by curfew. So I figured we'd just go wherever." said Leo sheepishly.

Nico scowled as they walked along the sidewalk, through the vast grassy plains covered in scattered school buildings and dorms. After a few minutes of awkward silence, they arrived at a four-story parking deck, which housed the cars belonging to the students.

The cars, for the most part, were pretty extraordinary. Most of the students in the school were very wealthy and came from rich families, so their cars were pretty amazing. Among the first row were two Lamborghinis, a cherry-red Ferrari, and several other sports cars Nico couldn't put a name to.

"Leo, can you drive?" Nico asked, slightly worried.

"Of course I can, I'm 16," He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket a pushed a button on one of them, and a nearby car blinked. "Like my ride?"

Nico stood, staring, at the car in front of him. He must've had a pretty weird look on his face, because Leo waved a hand in front of his face, smirking cockily. "Hello? Earth to Nico?"

The car was a bright red convertible, with a big open top and a flame pattern on the side. It appeared to be brand new, without a single scratch or dent in sight.

"It's very… well, it's very Leo."

Leo chuckled as he pulled open the passenger seat door so Nico could get in. The spicy scent of motor oil and campfires wafted out, that scent that was becoming very familiar as of late. Leo's scent.

As Leo slipped in and turned the ignition, slowly pulling out (insert that's-what-she-said joke here) of the parking spot. He drove slowly out of the school building and along the roads that lead to the highway nearby. The breeze was cool, and the warm sun beamed down on Nico's head.

"So I was thinking we could head down to get some pizza or something. I know this really good place on Main Street." Leo proposed.

Nico simply nodded his head in agreement.

The highway was fairly clear and the drive to the city near the school was easy. Except for a few young girls who ogled their car at a stop light, it was fairly uneventful. Eventually they arrived at a long stretch of road lined with buildings, and Leo pulled the car into a parking spot in front of an old-fashioned antique-esque storefront. It smelled delicious, like cheese and grease and bread and fattening foods that he'd regret eating later.

The waiter was apparently friends with Leo, because he clapped him on the back and smiled as he showed them to their table, and whispered something into his ear, to which Leo blushed red and shook his head, stumbling over his words.

"Whatevs, Leo. I'm totally jealous." he said, flashing Nico a cheeky grin that was almost… predatory.

"Shut up, you big twat." Leo looked irritated, but he still smiled at the guy as he left.

"What was that he said to you?" Nico asked whist scanning his eyes over the menu.

"I don't think you want to know," said Leo, but the look on Nico's face told him otherwise. "He, uh, he asked if… you were my boyfriend."

Nico felt his face fall to his hand before he could stop himself.

"Yeah, sorry. I have some pretty pervy friends." Leo awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Nico ran a hand through his messy hair. He really wished Leo would've let him brush it before he left.

"Leo, do you like me?" Nico asked suddenly. Leo froze, turning slightly pink.

"What?"

"Do you like me? I feel like I'm a pain to be around."

"Of course I like you, Nico," Leo's eyebrows scrunched together. "Why would you think I don't?"

Nico twiddled his thumbs anxiously. "Well, it's just that I've never had a real friend before, at least not since Bianca," he paused, looking up at Leo. "Are we friends?"

"Of course we are, Sunshine," he smiled warmly.

Nico couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy. It was in that moment that he had realized how truly amazing this boy was. He'd been on his own since his sister's death. But here was Leo, this random guy who treated him like an actual human being and not some circus freak, who was nice to him and enjoyed his company, and he was practically offering himself on a silver platter.

And so, on Nico's pale, slightly pasty face, which was usually either expressionless or scowling irritably, was the biggest, brightest smile that Leo had ever seen.

* * *

Ooooh lawdy. Did I just give Nico a pet name? Hell yes I did! Funny thing is, "sunshine" in Japanese (I'm moving to Japan this September!) is 日光, pronounced "Nikko." I found that out after I wrote this and literally started screaming.

This chapter was extra had to write, because my social skills are literally so crappy that I couldn't think of anywhere for them to go! I was originally going to have them go to a sex museum, until I realized that I have no idea what those are like since I've never been in one, and also that this story had had enough blushing and crack for one chapter!

I was also contemplating having Leo drive an Chevy 67 Impala because Supernatural is awesome, and I have a headcanon for Leo and Nico being ginormous fanboys, but I decided to leave that out too.

Whelp. That's all folks!

Love and smeef (smelly beef),

~kiko-sempai (aka lame fujoshi fangirl)


	4. Hiatus D:

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I can't update as quickly as I'd like as of late. As I've mentioned before, my family is moving from Virginia to Japan, and the movers have already packed away my computer. I managed to steal my sister's to get this little message out. This story is on temporary hiatus, until I get the chance to write more-supposedly we aren't getting our stuff until October TT_TT

Gomen! I'm really into this story and I'd really like to continue it, but it might be a little while.

D: See you sometime soon, hopefully!

~kiko-sempai


End file.
